


We Can Worry Tomorrow

by Anonymous



Category: Lunch Club, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, I Don't Even Know, Other, Requests, Slice of Life, Superpowers, oneshots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24797530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A bunch of dudes being pals. But with powers. Did I mention that they live together?Requests [OPEN]Edit: replaced Carson with Josh.
Relationships: Is that what you want?, It's called a guillotine, No Romantic Relationship(s), We got a place for people like you, You want to ship real people?
Comments: 101
Kudos: 286
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Beginnings [Part 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh meets Noah and they buy a house

Josh didn't always know he was special. His power wasn't noticeable, or flashy, no fireworks show he could conjure at will. He didn't even realise he was different until he started getting weird looks when he asked other people about their coloured clouds. His parents hardly noticed. "It's just an overactive imagination," they said. "He'll grow out of it."

They didn't notice how when he felt down, the mood plummeted and the room filled with deep blue auras. Or when he wished someone well, they instantly felt happier. How teachers never told him off as severely, no matter what the crime. He didn't grow out of these 'coincidences'. He grew into them.

Eventually, he learned the colours of all their moods. He learnt how easy it was to slip a tiny shock of pink or orange or green into them, just enough to brighten their day for a little. That was why he had it, after all. To make life just a bit more enjoyable for everyone.

It wasn't until he met Noah that he understood his second gift. 

Josh was studying in an empty classroom, books spilling all over the desk. As he poured over a particularly difficult chemistry question, he heard the door open. There was no-one there. He tried to return to his work, unnerved at how the heavy door had slipped open, but something just didn't feel right. There was _something_ at the back of the classroom, he knew it.

He crept over to the corner as quietly as he could. There were a few droplets of water on the wooden floor. He crept closer and closer, holding out a hand in front of him until he touched something that wasn't there.

A person. He knew it. He knew that they were powered, just like him, and how with a single thought he could take it away. He knew it all from just one single touch.

"You can turn invisible..." he breathed. "And... teleport? That's cool."

A person flickered into view. Josh was taken aback by the suddenness with which his aura became visible, a vibrant, strong blue. He only noticed the tears after. 

"How the fuck did you know that?"

There was a flicker of pale green. Fear. Josh smoothed it over with a touch of orange. "I don't know. I just do." The green kept creeping back. "I'm Josh."

"I know who you are. You're the most popular guy in the year." That was true, Josh thought with a twinge of guilt. He had won them over the same way that he was trying to the boy now. Hardly even realised he was doing it. He sighed.

"Yes, I am, I guess. I don't deserve it." 

The boy cocked his head curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I'm like you. Except I can manipulate emotions. I've just been adjusting them so they think more positively of me. I'm sorry, I was going to do it to you as well..."

The boy gave him an odd look, before a bright streak of green fired through his aura. Josh turned in time to see a group of kids at the door. The boy had no chance to flicker to invisibility before they barged in. Josh stood protectively in front of him.

"What's up?"

They looked past him to the cowering boy, auras of fiery reds. "We don't have trouble with you, Josh. Just him."

"Well, you can have him." He stepped aside and let the bullies stalk towards the boy, glowering at his betrayal. His eyes widened, as they raised a fist, arms raised in defence. They froze mid-punch.

Suddenly, they turned, trembling and ran out of the class, muttering apologies as they ran. Josh watched them leave, red auras replaced with only an all-encompassing pale green. The boy turned to look at Josh incredulously and took the hand that was offered. "Was that you?"

"I may have given them a shit ton of fear, yes. I don't think they'll be bothering you again any time soon." He went back to his study.

"Noah." 

Josh turned to look at him. "Hmm?"

"I never told you my name. It's Noah."

"Well, Noah. Do you know anything about chemistry?"

<<♢>>

They always came in twos, Josh quickly realised. Two powers, two people, him and Noah, Travis and Cooper.

When the two decided to move in, Josh wasn't sure what to think of them. They were powered, he knew that much, the familiar buzzing that came whenever he was around them. Both seemed to shy away from them, keeping them away so much so that Josh could hardly read anything between the lime greens and cerulean.

Cooper never stayed in the house long, always going for a swim, or skating or just going out. Sometimes, Travis would follow. But most of the time, he left alone, rain or shine, returning once the weather changed, a lone skater down their street.

Travis, on the other hand, seldom left the house. He had taken it upon himself to tend to their garden, a scrap of overgrown land that Josh and Noah had neglected for months on end. Josh had caught him whispering to himself as he tugged at a weed, though he shied away from his prying eyes. Josh couldn't find it in him to press against the mustard and grey that flickered though whenever he got close.

But after living with them for months, knowing that they had a secret but never knowing exactly what it was, it kept gnawing away at him, keeping him up at night. And that's when Noah came to him.

He glitched out from Josh's screen as he scrolled through twitter at two in the morning. The empath nearly dropped the device. "Could you not walk here like a normal person?"

Noah rolled his eyes and flickered to invisibility for half a second. Normal wasn't exactly their forte. "Look, you've been acting weirdly around them ever since they moved in. I don't have your expertise, but I know they're powered. And I'm pretty sure I've got a good idea of what their powers are."

"You do?" Damn, he hated how desperate he sounded. Noah's crocodile grin grew.

"Oh, so you don't even know? This is rich."

"Look, I don't just go up and randomly prod people to see if they're powered or not, ok? And I don't spy on people, either." He glared pointedly at Noah.

"Point taken. But how about a bet?"

"Hmm?"

"If I guess their powers correctly, I get ten dollars. However, if I get even a single one wrong, you get ten dollars. You don't even have to do any snooping."

"If it'll stop you sneaking around, sure. I'll ask them in the morning."

"Well then, we have a deal. Here's what I'm thinking..."

<<♢>>

Josh woke late the next morning, rising as everybody was about to leave for the day. He caught Cooper with one foot out the door and Travis already in the garden. He called them both in.

"Guys, I think we need to talk."

They stiffened, sharing a glance that didn't go unnoticed. A slicer of grey seeped in as Cooper began to talk. "Well, you see, we can explain..."

"You guys are powered," Josh cut in flatly. A flash of light purple, stunned faces staring at him from across the table. "Yeah, we knew."

"But- how- Travis?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"Then how'd they know, huh?"

"Will you two shut up and get onto the good bit? We know you're powered, just tell us what you've got!" Noah's voice came from down the hall. Josh rolled his eyes.

"If you wouldn't mind."

They exchanged another look, more confused than the last. "Ok then? I can control water and the weather. Travis?"

"I talk to things. And grow plants."

The table lapsed into silence. Then, "Pay up, Josh!"

Noah came into sight by Josh's shoulder, holding out his hand. The empath pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket, handing the crumpled paper over to him with a sigh. Cooper and Travis stared at the man that had definitely _not_ been standing there the second before, then at Josh who didn't seem to be phased at all. Noah gave them a cocky salute before glitching out of the kitchen, phone showing static for a moment longer.

"So, that was Noah-"

"Excuse me, what?!" Cooper glared at Josh across the table. "We've been trying our best to hide it and you've _known_ _all this time?!"_

"Well, uh-"

"Do you know how many times I wanted to show you? How many times I just wanted to let it all out? I couldn't use my power in my own house!" He gestured angrily as he talked, storm clouds forming around his hands. "And Travis! Do you know how hard it is to be amongst your element and _not_ be able to use it? I was lucky enough to have an outlet, but Travis can't exactly go around sprouting plants in public! He was stuck here trying to use his power without you guys finding out. Do you know how that feels, Josh? To feel restricted about something that is a part of you? _Do you know how that feels?_ "

"Cooper, calm down. No, I don't know how that feels. But I can certainly see it."

"What do you mean you can see it?" Cooper's still fuming, anger swirling in clouds of red so thick, Josh can hardly see him through them.

"Look, my powers are sensing other's abilities and manipulating emotions. I can see them as colours."

"Yet you didn't even notice?!"

"Cooper, calm down."

"No, I will not just _calm down_ , Josh. You-

"Calm down!" Josh gritted his teeth and flooded his aura with lime. Cooper looked down at himself in shock, then at the empath. The clouds that hovered around his head lightened.

"Did... you do that?" His voice seemed hollow, the vibrant greens paling.

"Yes, I did. I'm sorry." Josh sighed. "Cooper, Travis, I swear I didn't mean to hurt you. I- I didn't want my power to be wrong, or you to do something... destructive if I found out the wrong way. My power could check, but you kept shying away... that's why when Noah came I knew I had to do something before it got out of hand. And I guess we're here."

"I trust you," Travis spoke up suddenly. "The yew tree says you're trustworthy, and trees are very wise."

Josh stared, confused. "We have a yew tree?"

"Yeah, the big one out the front! It's very old. But nice."

"Travis, have I ever told you how goddamn weird you sound? I don't think I've ever gotten used to it."

"I know."

"So, are we all good?"

Cooper glared at him for a second longer before he waved his hands, dispelling the clouds he had formed. "Fine. But Noah had better not keep sneaking around."

His voice called from down the hall. "No promises!"

"Yeah, well when your bedroom starts to flood, don't blame me."

Josh grinned. For the first time in months, he saw orange spread throughout their auras, almost glowing it was so vibrant. For the first time, they were truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I kinda wanted to interact with the community, so I was thinking of making a request book! Of course, the first few chapters will just be to set out the premise and characters, etc. but after that, I'd love to have some requests! Angst, fighting, just some wholesome times, even crack, I'll take all requests for these characters, and maybe even some others not aforementioned. Except shipping. Shippers can go screw themselves.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter!
> 
> \- AnonyMoose
> 
> (P.S. I enabled comment moderation only because I'd rather not have someone posing as me. It's unlikely, you guys seem so nice, but I know that the rest of the fandom... isn't so much. It's only a safety precaution)


	2. Beginnings [Part 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah makes another bet and almost fails.

Charlie and Ted were an odd pair, for sure but somehow fitting. They never shied away from Josh, or any of the people in the house. Both of them shook Josh's hand upon meeting him, not knowing they had shared the secret that they strived so hard to hide. Well, Charlie hid.

Ted was loud, both in person and power. He was a force that Josh didn't even try to contain, evident by the various scorch marks he found around the house. He was pretty sure that he'd caught Ted levitating a few inches above the floor on several occasions, too. Somehow, the rest of the house never seemed to notice.

Charlie was a lot more subtle in his power usage, mainly using it for pranks around the house. There were several times where he'd watched people go to grab something, only for it to have never been there in the first place. Cooper swore he saw a bird wink at him once with familiar hazel eyes, unable to place where he'd seen it before.

Charlie and Ted didn't seem to know each other before moving in, but it was clear that they had hit off well together. They both had an affinity for the theatrical, and there seemed to be no bounds to the chaos they could cause in such a short amount of time. Josh was beginning to wonder if they could make it through the month without one side snapping at the other with full force.

He had informed the prior inhabitants on their new housemate's powers, though never specifying exactly what (it was the guessing that made it all the more fun). He reasoned that they should allow a month adjustment period before they finally showed them. It didn't stop Noah from trying to guess early.

"Hey, Josh. You wanna have another bet?"

Josh jumped as Noah appeared in his room, his computer showing static despite not being plugged in. "Dammit, I thought that would stop you," he muttered.

"Nope!" Noah seemed overly cheerful today. "Besides, you have a phone in your pocket."

"What was this about a bet?"

"Well, I thought we could make a bet. The new guys are powered, right?" Josh nodded. "Well, I bet you sixty dollars I could give you Ted's powers."

Josh snorted. "Ted's not exactly that subtle with his, not worth sixty dollars in the slightest."

"Alright then, you give me... five days and I'll get Charlie's for eighty."

"Schlatt's and you've got a deal." Schlatt had moved in only a few days after Ted and Charlie, a recluse who hadn't even said hello before locking himself away in his room. Josh could count their conversations on one hand.

Noah shook his hand. He pressed his hand to the screen, a glitch and a flicker of static, and he was gone. Josh smirked. _Good luck cracking this one._

<<♢>>

Day 1

Noah started at the beginning. After saying he was going 'out' (turning the corner and heading back invisibly) he snuck up into Schlatt's room. Schlatt stiffened at the static that played across his computer for a few seconds, rapping his knuckles a few times on the desk as if that would fix it. It stopped just as suddenly as it came, and Schlatt eased back into the call.

"Sorry, Connor, my computer glitched out for a second. About that idea..."

Noah sat on his bed as Schlatt talked about mundane things. Work, hobbies, anything that came to mind. The call ended after an hour or so of nothing interesting in the slightest. He exited the room to grab lunch, though his eyes lingered on the bed for a second longer than they should have.

Noah followed him down to the kitchen, waving a hand in front of his face. Perhaps his power was being immune to others'. But, Schlatt ignored him as if he wasn't there. It grew frustrating, and he eventually gave in to the petty urge to move things while he wasn't looking. Even that got boring, after a while, and he left, wondering how one man could lead such a boring life. Was it really worth the eighty dollars at all? 

Day 2

He dropped in on Cooper unexpectedly. His room was filled with fog, a steamy, tropical climate. Cooper was practising, twirling water around in fluid movements. When he saw Noah, however, he shot the water at a blinding speed, encasing Noah in ice.

"Could you knock?"

"Could you not freeze me to the door?"

Cooper rolled his eyes and waved a hand, the ice melting away to a puddle on the floor. "What do you want?'

"What do you know about Schlatt?"

"I don't know, man, never really talked to him much. Seen him at breakfast, given me an odd look once, but other than that I haven't really seen much else of him. Why?"

"A bet with Josh," he shrugged.

"You're snooping again?"

"It's worth eighty dollars!"

"Fair point. But you'd better tell him after, who knows what the man would do if he found out the wrong way." Noah shuddered, thinking about the tornadoes he had woken up to for weeks after confronting them. He was pretty sure that half of the things it had picked up would never be found again.

"Oh, I won't."

"Good." Cooper raised a hand and the fog cleared. "I'm going to go help Travis in the garden. Good luck with your spying." Noah was sure he'd need all the luck he could get.

Day 3

This time, Cooper went to ask their new housemates.

Ted seemed to have taken command of the house, mainly by his sheer size and volume. He was, however, the best cook out of all of them, and had spent most of his time 'teaching them what good food was'. The kitchen had become his domain.

"Hey Ted, have you noticed anything... _weird_ about Schlatt?"

"He seems normal, if a little quiet. Why'd you ask?"

"Oh, no reason."

"Actually, now that you mention it, he does seem to hate cooking with an unreasonable passion. Like, seriously, it's just baking a cake!"

 _Hmm, something about cooking might trigger his power?_ "Damn, I'll make sure I note that."

"What are you planning?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

"If you're thinking about dragging him in here, you better tell me now. No chaos goes down without me."

"Don't worry, I would never think of something like that."

"Right..."

"Do you happen to know where Charlie is?"

"In his room." He gestured toward the ceiling. "Said something about green screen."

"Thanks."

"Here, if you're heading up, bring him this." Ted handed Noah a plate laden with food. "He hasn't eaten all day," he explained. "Might as well have something good."

Noah bobbed his head and carried the plate upstairs to Charlie's room. He heard talking from inside. Slowly, he pushed the door open and crept inside. 

He had a large green screen that stretched from floor to ceiling, with a tripod in the middle. He smiled into the camera as he cracked another joke. He was sure he saw Charlie's clothes flicker and change as he switched angles. He kept quiet, however, and snuck up behind him, grabbing his shoulders suddenly. Charlie let out a shout and whirled around to almost punch Noah in the face. He relaxed once he recognised him.

"Oh, it's you." He spied the plate of food. "Did Ted make that for me?"

"Yeah, he said you hadn't eaten."

"So why did you bring it up?"

Noah shrugged. "I've been meaning to ask, noticed anything strange about Schlatt?"

"Well, he's loud, for one thing," Charlied muttered through a mouthful of food. Noah raised an eyebrow. Schlatt had been silent in front of them for weeks, hardly saying a word to anyone. Of course, Noah knew better, but not everyone had his level of access to the others' rooms. Charlie seemed to realise his mistake. "I've heard him shouting before. Not sure why, but if I can hear it from my room..."

"Anything else?"

"Not really, sorry man."

"It's fine, it doesn't really matter anyway." He gave a nod to him and slipped out of the room. While it had given him more answers about Charlie, it had done nothing to answer the real question. He only hoped that his last resort would have something.

Day 4

He visited Travis as he was gardening. The boy didn't look up as he crept up to him invisibly, though as he sat down, Travis made sure to speak loud enough for him to hear.

"Hello, Noah." It always unnerved him how he knew.

Not able to talk without realising his power, he dragged a finger through the soil, writing words in the dirt. _Have you heard anything about Schlatt?_ Travis had a knack for knowing the impossible. 

"The tree by his window said that he doesn't open his binds often. The sparrows say he leaves a lot of crumbs. I think the pigeons said something about nesting over his window..."

_Nothing strange or unusual about him?_

"Not really. Are you looking for his powers?"

_Yes._

"I'll ask around for you then."

_Thank you, but I've only got one day left._

"Oh ok. Good luck."

"Travis, what are you doing?" Travis startled to look at Charlie, gently rocking on the porch swing. Ted followed his gaze through the kitchen window.

"N-nothing!"

"You've been staring at nothing for five minutes straight. Are you sure the heat's not getting to you?"

"No, I'm fine! Tired, that's all."

"Alright."

Travis turned back to Noah, whispering, "You should go."

_Phone?_

He pulled it out dutifully. With a flash of static, Noah reappeared in his room. There was one day left, and he'd found nothing. Travis had been his last hope. He wasn't sure what he was going to do.

Day 5

Noah was at his wit's end. An entire week of spying and Schlatt hadn't displayed a single anomalous trait. Ted had been so much easier, and he was sure that even Charlie couldn't beat the level of secrecy the man had woven around him. He was beginning to wonder if Schlatt was even powered at all. He sighed and glitched into his room anyway, hoping that he'd find just a crumb of information.

Schlatt was playing a game, focused intensely on the screen, slamming his hands on his keyboard when Noah's static lost him the match. He whipped around to glare at the invisible man.

"Are you happy now, Noah?"

He was startled out of invisibility. "What?"

"You've been following me around all week, just waiting for a reaction. Well, you got one, are you happy?"

"How- have you been able to see me this whole time?"

"I thought you talked with Josh, didn't he tell you?" He stared at him for a moment longer. "Oh, I see. Here I was thinking you knew."

"Knew what?"

"Have you really been harassing me for a week for only eighty dollars?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"And Josh actually let you. I can't believe this."

"How do you-"

"You know what, how about I get you that money? Josh deserves it, at this point," he added under his breath. 

"First of all, how did you know about the bet? Secondly, how did you know where I was? Did Josh tell you this?"

"Josh?" Schlatt scoffed. "He had nothing to do with it. You told me yourself."

"I didn't-"

"You did. Even if you didn't know it." Noah went to answer, though Schlatt cut him off by simply raising his hand. "Look, if you split the money fifty-fifty, I'll tell you everything. What do you say?"

Noah looked hesitantly at the hand in front of him. "You've got a deal."

<<♢>>

Josh looked at the bright pink sticky note that had been stuck to his computer screen. He had been staring at it for a while now, though the note only contained two words. 

_Commanding + Telepathy_

Noah was right, of course, and Josh had been left eighty dollars poorer. He only had one remaining question.

_How the hell did he work it out?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there's another chapter done! You know what that means...
> 
> Requests are now open! So, if you'd like me to write something, leave a suggestion (or prompt or whatever comes to mind, I'll do basically anything) in the comments, or you could add me on discord if you'd like a more in-depth discussion. My name's Moose#0749. If I do write your idea, I will always make sure to credit you. As always, any ideas are welcome, though I will not write shipping.
> 
> Thanks for reading and putting up with me, hope you enjoyed. See you in the next chapter!
> 
> -AnonyMoose


	3. Total Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schlatt and Josh cause chaos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to raydiosighlent and flanman! Thank you both for the suggestions!
> 
> Ray's prompt: Schlatt makes a bet with someone to control them for like a day and see if anyone else clocks it  
> Flan's prompt: See some more of Schlatt's powers in action

"Are you sure about this?" Schlatt stared into Josh's eyes, tone laced with concern. "Give me a straight answer this time."

"No, I'm not sure," he blurted out, unable to stop himself. "But I want to try."

"I've only done this a few times before, you understand that?"

"You've said it only a few dozen times." He rolled his eyes. "And if you've only done it a few times, you need practice, right? I'm probably the best person to practice on."

"Look, if you're this determined, I'll do it. But if anything goes wrong, I'm going to say 'I told you so'."

"Finally! Can we just get on with it, now?"

"If you say so..." Schlatt closed the gap between him and Josh, putting one hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes for a second, then his body crumpled, collapsed on the floor. Josh felt something brushing against his mind before control was wrenched away. He lurched as he felt Schlatt's mind command his body forward, though no words were spoken. _Walk. Stand tall. Chin up, Josh, this is what you wanted._

But, oh god how it wasn't! Everything screamed at Josh to break free, to escape. but he couldn't. No, he had given his word despite all warnings, despite Schlatt's continual opposition. He had to continue.

 _Walk. Downstairs._ He obeyed. He didn't fight. His gait was fluid and natural, unlike the stiff movements that were usual of Schlatt's commands. Josh descended the stairs and froze in the living room, in front of their housemates having breakfast. Schlatt's commands suddenly picked up speed, incomprehensible instructions glancing past too fast to see.

"Hey guys, have you seen Schlatt anywhere?"

Ted looked up from flipping pancakes. "No, he hasn't come down yet. Why?"

Josh raised a fist. "I'm pretty sure he's stopped me from unclenching this. It's my right hand, too!"

"That sucks, man."

"Yeah..." Josh paused for a second, as if in thought. "Well, I guess I'll go and find him."

He walked back upstairs and into Schlatt's room. Schlatt was still unconscious on the floor, and Josh felt him release his body. He came free with a gasp, clutching at his chest.

"I told you so."

"That- that's fair." He slumped to the ground. "Though I'm surprised they didn't suspect anything up, I'm pretty sure that was suspicious."

"Only to you."

"So what, I'm easy to imitate?"

"Yes."

Josh scoffed. Then, a thought struck him. Before he could say anything, however, Schlatt cut him off.

"No."

"I haven't even said anything!"

"Josh, I know what you're thinking, and there's no way in hell I'm doing that."

"Absolutely no way?" There was certainly one incentive that he could think of that might get the telepath interested. As soon as it crossed his mind, a small smile broke over Schlatt's face.

"Well, how much are we talking?" Another silence as Josh tried to calculate a figure in his head.

"You got yourself a deal. But first, pancakes."

<<♢>>

  
"Hey Josh, up for a round of Smash?" A controller almost hit him in the head as he walked into the room. Ted and Charlie sat on a couch with the game between them, though by the smoke rising from Ted's hands, the match was not going in his favour. Josh picked up the controller from the floor.

"Sure, I'll play a round."

Ted rolled his eyes and stalked away calling out over his shoulder, "He's cheating. He's been projecting onto the screen the entire time."

Charlie gasped in mock disbelief. "Me? How dare you! You make me sound like some sort of reptile!" His skin changed to copper scales as he spoke. A lick of fire flew past his head. "No need to be so hot-headed!"

"Charlie, I swear-"

"Are we playing or not?" Josh interrupted. The two gave him an odd look before settling back into the game.

Throughout it, Charlie continued to make small illusions to mess with him; a fake projectile here, a few more hit points there. Just enough to let him absolutely demolish Josh. Schlatt was so very tempted to throw the controller through the nearest window, but resisted the urge and offered Charlie a sweet smile.

"Wow, good job. You really beat me, huh?"

"Josh? Are you feeling ok?"

"What do you mean?"

Charlie stared at him. "That's all you're saying? You're not even mad about me cheating?"

"Not really. It's kind of impressive, to be honest." _What are you doing, Schlatt?_

"Really? Because you've never mentioned before."

"Oh, I haven't? Well, now's as good a time as any, I guess. You should keep doing it, really. I wouldn't mind." Josh was beginning to wonder whether he'd made the right choice.

"Yeah right, next thing you know you'll be fine with me playing with fire around you."

"You know what, that would be fine. I can stop you if things get out of hand, and anyway, I'm sure Cooper would be happy to help with damage control."

"Yeah, you're on your own with this one," called Cooper as he walked past. "You've just signed yourself a death wish."

"I'm not going to burn the house down!"

"You would if you had the chance."

"As true as that may be, I'd at least have the courtesy of not doing while you guys are inside."

Cooper rolled his eyes. "I'm so honoured."

"Well, I reckon you'd drown us in a heartbeat!"

As Cooper and Ted bickered back and forth, Josh used the distraction to sneak out of the room. He felt an invisible hand on his shoulder as he crept up the stairs. Noah flickered into view.

"Where are you going?"

"Just up to my room, why?"

"You're not doing anything about that?" Noah gestured to the two still yelling at each other below. Storm clouds were brewing around Cooper's hands, and he was pretty sure he could see the flicker of firelight dancing on Ted's hands. Josh sighed and turned around, holding out a hand and concentrating. Bright orange and green started to seep into their auras, though without the subtlety that the empath usually demonstrated. The two spun around and locked eyes with him.

"Josh! What the hell?!"

He exchanged a look with Noah and the two bolted up the stairs and into his room. A second later there was a loud rush of air against the door and a sudden rise in temperature. Josh pressed his back flat against it, both of them sighing in relief.

"They noticed?"

"Yeah."

"How? You're usually not..." He looked away. "I just remembered I needed to check something. Be back in a minute."

He glitched out of the room, returning a moment later to find Josh staring into space. "I'm back."

"What were you doing?"

"Oh, nothing much. Don't you have a stream planned today?" Josh could feel Schlatt shudder at the thought.

"R-right! Yeah, I do, don't I."

"You haven't set up yet?"

"No, I forgot. I'll get it ready right away."

"You forgot, huh? You forgot the stream that you _don't_ have today?"

His smile faltered. "W-What do you mean?"

"I made that up. Y'know, you fell for it very easily, _Schlatt._ " Josh groaned as he felt Schlatt recoil and release him. He fell to the floor. Gasping, he dragged himself upright. 

"How did you figure that out?"

"Look, I might be able to tell when you're messing around, but they haven't had the years of practice. Plus, when Schlatt's passed out on the floor, it tends to be a pretty big clue."

On cue, Schlatt came storming in, slammed a wad of notes on the desk, and left as quickly as he'd arrived. They stared at the closed door for a second before bursting out laughing. "A bet?"

"He didn't even last two hours!"

"How much was it worth?"

"Two hundred dollars!" Josh broke off into wheezing as he counted out the money. "And he gave me it in one-dollar bills!" 

Downstairs, they could hear Schlatt yelling something unintelligible. The next thing they heard were thundering footsteps on the stairs, Charlie and Cooper and Ted rushing up with powers at the ready. Noah spared a quick glance out the door, taking in the stiff movements and glazed eyes. He smothered a giggle as he strode over to the computer.

"Y'know, next time you make a bet, you probably shouldn't make it with Schlatt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has submitted a request thus far, I promise I'll try and get them out as soon as possible. Feel free to submit any more, and a big thanks again to Ray and Flan.
> 
> Hope y'all are doing good and I'll see you in the next chapter!  
> \- AnonyMoose


	4. I'm BABY

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's threaten a baby today, shall we?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No requests this time, just some good ol' crack

"Hey guys, I think I'm going to have to end the stream early today," Josh winced as another wail interrupted his stream. "I'll see you next time."

He stopped it with a sigh. The cries didn't, however, and seemed only to get louder as he removed his headphones and opened his door. It was coming from down the hall, far down where Charlie's room lay.

On Charlie's bed, there was a child. A tiny, human baby whose face waa as red as its throat as it wails. Josh was not the only one that's there to investigate, a posse of five people standing around wondering what the hell was going on. There was a long pause filled with the baby's howls before someone finally spoke.

"So, what are we supposed to do with him?"

"Him?"

"C'mon, a random baby just appears in Charlie's bedroom, of all places? That's _definitely_ not a coincidence."

"Surely he would have changed back by now?"

"Who knows what he would have done. The man's machinations are a complete mystery," commented Ted. He stared at the baby for a second longer, then, "I say we settle this with violence."

A flame alighted his finger and he took a menacing step towards the child. Josh and Travis tripped over each other to try and stop him. "Woah, woah, what are you going to do to him?"

"I was just going to threaten him," he shrugged.

" _Just?!_ "

"What, I'm not going hurt him! Well, not too much..."

"How about we consult Schlatt before you do anything wrong?"

"Schlatt? What's he going to do?"

"I don't know, get Charlie to change back _without_ violence?"

The flame went out. Ted took a step back and folded his arms, regarding the baby with incredible dissatisfaction. "Fine."

Josh was silent for a moment before Schlatt's door was flung open and he stormed out. "This had better be good, Josh."

The second that he got into range of the baby, however, he stopped dead in his tracks. Pain flashed across his face for a second, just long enough for them all to see. He backed away slowly, pressing one hand to his temple, the other raised to flip them off. "Go fuck yourselves, you're on your own with this one." 

The door was shut with a slam. Ted blinked at it before the maniacal grin returned, accompanied by columns of flames in each hand. "Violence it is!"

"Ted, if I hear that you so much as _singed_ the baby I swear I'll take your powers for a solid _week._ "

"You wouldn't dare."

"Look, I'm going to head out, you guys are giving me a headache you're so bright, but I'm warning you now that if anything gets out of hand, I won't hesitate."

"Yeah, yeah, we won't kill him. You don't have to worry about that."

Josh eyed him warily before slipping back into his room. Ted loomed over the baby.

"Alright, Charlie, let's see if we can get you to break..."

<<♢>>

"Why the ever-loving fuck can he not just _give up?_ "

Noah sighed, leaning against the wall. "Face it, one side is going to keel sooner or later, and I'm pretty sure it won't be him."

Ted bristled at the thought. "No way is that pun-gremlin outlasting _me._ "

"Well, if you don't want to lose, you're going to have to try a different tactic." He motioned to the baby which had stopped wailing and was now gurgling in some awfully happy way. Considering the fact that Cooper had encased it in ice and was currently dangling him upside down from the ceiling, it didn't seem at all that concerned of its current situation.

"Well, what can we do? We don't exactly have any other options, I mean, even Travis has tried at this point."

"He's isn't exactly scary, though..."

"Hey!" Travis protested, vine winding around his wrist. "I can be scary!"

"You thought that a flower growing out of nowhere would terrify him." He fell silent, staring at his feet. "Doesn't really matter anyway, if Ted couldn't break him, I doubt that anyone could."

"Thank you."

"Shut up."

That was when Josh decided to come out and put his two cents in on the situation. "Well, from what I can see, all of you are failing equally as miserably." He motioned to the baby that still was, well, a baby. 

Ted folded his arms and glared at him crossly. "Oh great and wise Josh, do tell us what _you_ would have done with your bland and harmless powers."

Noah straightened up at once, squaring his shoulders about to jump to his defence, but Josh just waved him off and he made a grabbing motion with his hand. Almost at once, Ted keeled over, gasping, as he felt the power leave his body. "Fine, fine! Your _very interesting_ and _frankly terrifying_ powers."

It came rushing back to him all at once, hitting him in the chest with full weight. "Thank you."

Their bickering had gone on for so long that they hadn't noticed the sound of the front door shutting, or the footsteps on the stairs. "Oh hey, did he stop crying?"

Charlie stood in the doorway, the tin of baby powder falling to the ground. The room froze like deer in the headlights, complete with the baby staring wide-eyed from the ceiling. 

"What the hell are you doing to my baby cousin?!"


	5. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's yelling. That's it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to medicaltape! Thank you for the request!
> 
> Prompt: some schlatt/slime angst
> 
> (I couldn't decide which one to choose, they're both really interesting to explore, so I may have picked both)

Charlie had an... interesting set of powers. They could be bold, they could be subtle, or anywhere in between. He'd used them for as many purposes as he could think of, from pranks to trivial tasks to even life-changing moments. He looks back fondly on each milestone, the exhilaration of mastering something new, the pride of having a job well done.

Yet, it never quite seemed earned.

He had vivid memories of them all. The time he made an illusion of a dragon, so detailed and delicately crafted you needed to touch it to affirm it wasn't real. His parents were shocked, to say the least, they'd grown used to the childish and crude images he used beforehand. They waved off their surprise and masked it with a condescending, "That's nice dear. But why don't you focus on something _real?_ "

It was an understatement to say it hurt. It felt like someone had wrenched his heart out and squashed it like a bug. Those illusions, they were _his_ powers, _his_ hard work. He had spent so many long hours perfecting each claw, wing, horn in perfect detail, watching the crows outside his windows to get each wingbeat _just right._ But it was all in vain. The dragon disappeared with a wave of his hand and he fled back to his room, fighting back the tears in his eyes. Only when alone did he cry away his pain.

He soon grew accustomed to it.

For much of his childhood, he had clung onto the belief that _maybe, just maybe_ if he could create something good enough, they'd finally acknowledge him. No matter what he made, though, the answer was always the same. "Not everything is illusions, Charlie. Focus on the _real_ world. _That_ will get you places."

_~~He supposed that the fountains of jewels on their wedding day or the wonderland he created in their living room were all just 'party tricks' too. The wonder on their faces certainly could have fooled him~~ _

He bit back ever retort, every defence against their stinging words. But it seemed that no matter where he went, no matter what he did, it would always surface in some way.

And one day he couldn't bite it back any longer.

<<♢>>

"Charlie. What. The. Fuck." Cooper stood dripping slime in the hallway. One of Charlie's favourite pastimes was seeing how far he could go with augmenting reality. Apparently, filling a pool with slime was absolutely withinhis limits.

"Looks like you're in a sticky situation, huh?" He knew he had overstepped a little with this one. Just keep pressing forward, right?

"Not the time."

"C'mon, you gotta admit that was good. I bet you couldn't do better."

"I bet I could."

"Sure, sure. You might be able to make a splash every once in a while, but can you do _that_?" He motioned at the pool that still sparkled a clear aquamarine, despite the neon green slime that lay within.

"No, but at least what _I_ do is real!" Cooper was shouting now, his voice accompanied by loud thunderclaps. "You keep pretending that you're so much better than everyone else, that your powers are so much more _special_ , but what can you do? _Pretend_ to make stuff appear? _Pretend_ to be something you're not? At least what I can do you can _touch_. But you? You're just façade, exactly like your stupid illusions."

"Well, at least I put effort into them! Do you think it's easy to make something look lifelike? I've dedicated _years_ into mastering them, you? You just wave your hand and clouds appear and then you act as though you're some sort of hero!"

"Charlie, I-"

"I don't want to hear it."

Charlie stormed downstairs, leaving a shell-shocked Cooper with a gentle shower from the rain clouds above.

<<♢>>

Needless to say, Charlie was in a bad mood. So when he brushed past Schlatt and the man gave out a small 'oh', he wasn't best equipt to deal with it rationally.

"What? See something interesting in my thoughts?"

"No, it's just-"

"Want to share it? Because I sure don't."

"I didn't-"

"Why can't you just stay in your own head, for once? Don't you think that it's rude to invade people's privacy like that?"

"Charlie, I'm sorry-"

"No, you can't be sorry now, because you've already gone and done it, haven't you? You've already seen everything you wanted to see, doesn't matter if I wanted you to or not, _no_ , because you were blessed with being oh-so-special and knowing too much for your own good."

"Shut up."

Charlie's mouth clamped shut of its own accord. "You think I _wanted_ this? Because I can tell you this is _not_ a blessing." He waved his hand. "You can talk again if you want."

Charlie didn't and instead glared silently at him. _Not a blessing, huh? I'm sure that it's_ so bad _that you can conveniently get any information out of people without lifting a finger._

"I promise you, it's not."

"I didn't say anything," he spat venomously.

"You didn't have to. Now, can I offer you some advice about Cooper- ?"

"No. You can't." _Get out of my head, get out of my head, get out of my head._

"Charlie, I wish I could but-"

"But what? You don't want to give up the power you hold over people?" _You're sick. What you do is wrong._

"You think I can control it? I don't have any say into what I see, or hear, or _experience._ Do you know what I have to put up with? Every day, constantly, people are screaming at you, but with pictures and sounds and memories and you _can't hear anything else!_ You have no idea, Charlie, it's so loud. _It's so loud..."_

Charlie is left in stunned silence. _I didn't know._

"It's fine, really."

Charlie was about to say something more before Schlatt froze, looking to somewhere above, issuing a telepathic warning. _Josh's coming. Damage control._

Sure enough, his voice echoed down the staircase. "Are you guys alright? I heard yelling." _I heard Schlatt yell. What's he done this time?_

Charlie turned to the telepath. _I can't deal with him right now._ He hissed back, "I know a place. Follow me."

They sprinted out the door, moving faster than they ever thought possible. Down the street, dodging pedestrians, winding through alleyways so invisible the eye skipped right over it. Through a broken slat in the fence and into an abandoned block which Charlie could only describe as a little slice of paradise.

Emerald grass up to their knees, waterfalls of jasmine and honeysuckle, and at the centre of it all, a willow tree that speckled the ground with green-dappled light. They had come at such a time that the sun was bathing the whole area in rich gold. Charlie was speechless. 

"How did you find this place?"

Schlatt shrugged. "Sort of just stumbled over it. Needed to clear my head one day, found a hole in the fence, ended up here."

"You come here often?"

"What, trying to flirt with me, Charlie?" He snorted, hefting himself onto a branch. "At least take me on a date first."

"Isn't that what this is?" 

"I regret saying anything." The telepath collapsed on the bough, stretching out to catch the small slivers of sunlight like a cat. "But to answer your question, yes, I do. It's nice to catch a break every once in a while."

They lay in silence for a while, both staring up into the feathery canopy. "Aren't we a pair?"

"Hmm?"

"Sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves here."

"Is it really that bad though?" He tilted his head to look at him. "I get the feeling that none of us have had the chance to for a very long time."

"You'd be right about that," he replied. "I don't think I've vented to someone for... years."

"Same. I mean, who'd want to listen?"

Schlatt rolled over to stare at Charlie, face unusually grave. "I wouldn't mind."

"Thanks, Schlatt."

"Plus, you get the added bonus of me being a complete prick," he joked, alleviating the atmosphere. Charlie only smiled in reply. 

"Now, we should probably head home. Knowing Josh and Ted, they'll probably be rallying a search party by now."

"I guess you're right." He landed on the ground with a thud, Schlatt slipping fluidly after him. As they wandered back through the laneways, Charlie couldn't help but feel glad for the telepath simply _being_ there. Helping escape the pressing atmosphere of the house. Showing him his secret haven. He wished he could say thank you, but it didn't do justice to the gratefulness that glowed warmly in his chest. Some things were just beyond words.

But Schlatt understood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed, and thanks again to medicaltape for the suggestion!
> 
> As always, requests are always open, and I'm always glad to receive feedback.
> 
> Hope y'all doing great, stay safe and I'll see you in the next chapter!  
> -AnonyMoose
> 
> P.S. Thank you for 1k hits! Love you all <3


	6. Telepath's Secrets [Part 1]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No req this time, but I've been meaning to introduce this character for a while (though who they are you may or may not be able to tell, as this is only the first part, sorry)
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to get this out (I know, my schedule is hot garbage)

They always came in twos, Josh knew that. Yet no matter how hard he looked, it seemed that there was no second side to Schlatt's coin. He had thought it just an anomaly, another quirk of his, but the more time went on, the more he noticed the odd happenings surrounding him, and the more he wondered exactly what was going on behind the scenes. 

It started one day when they were playing chess. They had kicked Schlatt out four rounds ago, as he couldn't help but know what moves they were about to make, but he seemed content to just sit and watch, tittering silently at his private jokes. It had grown increasingly suspicious, however, when Travis had won three times in a row, and Schlatt's grin grew wider with every game.

"You're cheating, aren't you?"

"What?"

"I refuse to believe that you're capable enough to beat us _every single time._ " Ted crossed his arms and glared at Schlatt. "I reckon there's another party involved."

"Hey, don't look at me. He did that all on his own."

"I'm sure."

Schlatt seemed as though he wanted to say more, but instead, he froze, listening to something only he could hear. "I have to go."

"What? But we didn't even-"

"I have to go _now,_ Ted."

"Schlatt-" The telepath had already disappeared up the stairs, the slam of his door resonating through the walls. The room was left in stunned silence, blinked at each other as they tried to comprehend what had happened.

"Did... did he just storm off for no reason? You guys weren't thinking anything too bad, were you?" They shook their heads. "Then why did he go?"

"Want to find out?" Josh and Noah exchanged a look before the later flickered away. He returned a second later with a bright pink sticky note in hand.

"'Back soon'. That's all it says." He glanced around the room. "The window was open but I couldn't see him anywhere."

"How about _I_ check, then," Charlie remarked. "I haven't had a good flight in ages. Plus, I'll cover more ground than any of you." He was already making his way to the door when Josh stopped him.

"Wait!" He pulled him back and muttered softly in his ear, "Be careful. He's more fragile than you think."

"I know." He pulled away and strode out the door, transforming mid-stride. A falcon soared out into the sky. Josh gazed after him worryingly. He knew Schlatt had a tendency to withdraw whenever he was overwhelmed, but disappearing into thin air was a new trick. And since Noah's eyes were as clear and dark as ever, he couldn't figure out how he'd managed it.

There was a tap on the window a few moments later, a bird on the windowsill waiting patiently to be let in. As the panes swung open, Charlie tumbled inside. "No sign of him. Checked all of the surrounding streets, and the car's still here."

"Are you sure you didn't miss him?"

"Positive. Do you know how good a falcon's eyesight is?"

_Then where the hell did he go?_

<<♢>>

He had returned a few hours later, slipping silently through the front door and creeping up the stairs. He was careful to avoid the second last step, the one that Josh kept thinking about fixing but never got around to, then the creaky floorboard that always got on Ted's nerves. He paused at his door, hand hovering over the handle, and listened. His room held the familiar buzz of thoughts. He reached out to answer them.

_Did you really think hiding would work?_

The buzz grew louder, accompanied by voices and footsteps, the door being swung open.

"Where were you?"

"What were you doing?"

"Why did you go?"

Schlatt nimbly slipped past them, putting just enough distance between them as to not be swamped with the heaving mass of thought. "I just went out to clear my head, okay?"

"That's bullshit, Schlatt. We've looked everywhere for you."

"Well, you obviously didn't look in the library, then."

"The library?! That's miles away!"

"And I'm guessing that's why you didn't look there, then." He shifted from foot to foot. "Can I go?"

"No, you can't just _go!_ "

"We've been out searching all day for you, Josh even missed his stream," chimed Noah. "You're not getting off that easily."

"So, what are you going to do? What are you going to ask me? I've already answered all of your questions." He heard many things flick through their minds, including various methods of torture from multiple people and shuddered at the thought. It was all so crowded with ideas that when one hung in someone's mind a second too long, he didn't realise until it was too late, and Travis's hand was already on the plants. Two tiny green fragments flew towards him, grossly enlarging mid-air, until two vines thick as his arms wrapped tightly around him, pinning his arms to his side.

Noah paced around him, then reached out and plucked a piece of paper from his pocket. Schlatt didn't have the movement to stop him, though he struggled in vain against the bonds holding him, glaring daggers as he retreated. The paper was passed off to Ted.

"An apple? With a heart?" He turned it around for them all to see. Sure enough, roughly sketched out in black pen, was a picture of an apple, with an upside-down heart inside it. A jagged line ran down the middle. "What's this?"

The telepath clenched his jaw and stayed silent.

"Schlatt, come on," Josh stared at him pleadingly, shoulders dropping. _Can't you trust us?_ "You owe us this much, at least."

"It's a logo."

"For what?"

"I don't know." Ted shifted the paper to a single finger, it started to brown. "I don't know!"

A thin wisp of smoke started to rise from it. "I'm not lying! Ted, I swear, I don't know." His struggling became more frantic as it blackened, the smoke growing slightly thicker.

"I don't believe you."

"Ted..." Josh started to sneak a little cerulean into his aura, but it was quickly swamped with reds once more. The pyrokinetic turned to glare at him.

"I spent five hours waiting for him, I want answers!" Josh went to speak again, but Ted interrupted him angrily. "You might have missed one stream, but I have a _movie_ to edit. I have lost too much time to yield."

His left hand was clenched at his side, light flickering inside the fist, and a hole started to burn into the paper, sending tiny fragments of ash fluttering through the air. Schlatt's eyes widened as Ted didn't stop it from quickly spreading closer and closer to the image. Travis was doing all he could to keep him in place, but doubt was starting to cloud his features with each tug at the vines. The group was about to step in when the embers started to eat away at the edge of the picture, and they watched Schlatt snap.

"Stop! Ted, stop it burning." The glowing red faded, the hole stopped growing. The entire room was stock-still in rapture beneath his power.

"Travis, let me go." The vines withered away.

"Now, all of you, go away. Get out of my room and don't say another word about the drawing. I'm done talking." Having issued his commands, he grabbed the paper and shoved it back into his pocket. They watched him as they stiffly walked away, wishing that they could break free.

But they had no choice but to obey.


	7. Telepath's Secrets [Part 2]

Josh was getting worried. It had been eight days since the incident and Schlatt had gone back to his early ways of retreating from human contact, locking himself away in his room for hours on end. They'd tried everything to coax him out, from reasoning to threats to flat out silence, hoping that he'd hear their pleading thoughts from behind the door. Not once did he reply.

Travis had tried sneaking plants onto the windowsill to spy on him, only to find them knocked to the ground the next day. When Noah tried to glitch in, he found himself locked in a cupboard, unable to escape. Even Charlie, in the smallest form he could manage, couldn't find a way in. They were hesitant to resort to property damage, but at this point, it was the only option they had left.

So, they had asked Ted to burn it down.

Ted was standing outside the door with twin flames blazing in his hands. They were blue, this time, and the rest of the group had taken a large step back to avoid the waves of heat rolling off him. "We're giving you one more chance, Schlatt! You can come out now, or I'm burning it down!"

There was still no answer.

He sighed. "Well, we gave him a warning, at least." He swallowed the flames, the bright blue being replaced by a glowing white in his hands, which he placed carefully on the door. Instead of fire slowly eating away at the wood, it was instantly turned to ash, leaving a large hole in the door. They peeked through, into the room.

There was no-one in sight.

"Schlatt? You there?" Cooper was the first to step into the room, flanked by Josh and Travis. They checked the closet, the bed, anywhere he could be hiding. The room was empty. They were about to leave when they saw a flashing light by the door, a camera hidden in the bookshelf. Josh carefully removed it, holding it out for Noah to inspect.

"Any ideas what this is doing here?"

He turned it over in his hands, studying the tiny lens. He stared at it in silence, then looked to Josh. "There's nothing. I don't know if it's connected to anything, let alone where it is."

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"Shh!" Cooper held up a hand, footsteps echoing through the silence. They hadn't heard the front door.

"What the hell are you doing-" Schlatt stopped as he took in the damage, the pile of ash where his door should have been. "Shit. I didn't think you'd be that destructive."

"Where have you-"

"Look, I told you to drop it, why can't you just let this go?!"

"Schlatt, you had been in there for days. Or not, I guess, seeing as you're here."

"So what? I'm fine."

Their eyes flicked to the patch of red skin tucked beneath his hood, the tiny cut on his right hand, the slight singe of his hair. "Yeah, perfectly fine."

"Schlatt, answer me honestly, how long were you out?"

"Two hours."

"No, you weren't." Josh stared hard at him, narrowing his eyes as the telepath couldn't meet his eyes. "I'm not that stupid. Your bed hasn't been slept in, there's dust on the floor, so tell me how long you were out for."

"Three days."

"Try again."

"Fine. Eight."

"And you'd come out for just long enough to convince us otherwise?"

"Yes. Are you happy now? You've got everything you want."

"Not quite." He caught a glimpse of what Josh had in mind, and he did not like what he saw.

"No, no, no, we're not doing that."

"I have no choice."

"You could choose literally anything else! Come on, you've had plenty of ideas, they'd work!"

"Not with you."

At this point, the rest of the group were lost. "Josh? Mind telling us what you guys are talking about?"

"He's going to _babysit_ me," Schlatt spat. "And if I move even an inch out of place, he'll take my powers away."

"I'm giving you a little more leeway than that..."

"Are you? Because your thoughts are telling a different story."

There were shocks of red and green rising around him, dangerous colours for him. Their last confrontation echoed in Josh's mind, a sudden burst of power that could hold them all with a single word. Even though he knew _he_ could deal with it, he didn't want the rest of them to be hit by the backlash afterwards. "You guys go, I'll deal with this."

Reluctantly, they filed out, leaving Josh alone with Schlatt. The telepath was bracing himself to bolt, hostility radiating off of him in waves. He just sighed and calmly sat down on the bed, watching Schlatt pace like a caged animal between the walls.

"So what? You're not going to say anything else?"

"Nope."

Schlatt barked a laugh. "You know the silent treatment doesn't exactly work on me?"

Josh only regarded him coolly and selected a book from the shelf. He didn't even bother to start from the beginning, opening on some random page in the middle, pretending to be interested in economics as he carefully watched over the top. Schlatt had sprawled out on his office chair, flicking a pen between his fingers. When that grew tiring, he began to click it incessantly, watching with petty satisfaction as Josh's grip slowly tightened, pressing his fingernails into the cover. His face remained impassive, though the telepath could hear his annoyance buzzing around in his head, and grinned at his small victory.

Josh, on the other hand, was not enjoying his antics and was very seriously considering simply letting him go until suddenly, the click of the pen halted. Schlatt was staring off into space, an oddly intense expression on his face. A flash of panic pulsed through the empath. _Is he in my mind? What is he doing? What has he seen?_ On instinct, he reached out and ripped the power out of him.

Schlatt keeled over, gasping for breath, tumbling to the ground. Snapped out of his trance, his eyes darted wildly, focusing on Josh's face. "No, no, no! Josh, what have you done?!"

"I don't want you poking around in my head!"

"You _idiot!_ " He was seething. "I wasn't even _in_ your head! Now I can't do anything and he might be _dying_ for all I know-"

"He? Who's 'he'?" The question had caught him off-guard, a little unnerved by the fact that he couldn't see what was flashing through Josh's mind. He didn't miss a beat to answer, though.

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters! Now, who is it?"

"Charlie. It was Charlie."

"Where is he, Schlatt?"

"How would I know?! You broke the connection, I don't know where he is or what he's doing, alright? What I _do_ know is that he's in more trouble the longer you sit around and do nothing!" He could see the cogs turning in Josh's mind. He didn't loosen his grasp on Schlatt's powers, he _did_ leave him alone in his room without another word.

Downstairs, Ted was editing something and had his back turned to the door. At the sound of Josh's footsteps, he dropped everything, headphones clattering on the desk. "What did he do?"

The empath shook his head. "No, it's not him. Do you know where Charlie is?"

"In his room. Why?"

The look in his eyes spoke volumes. Together, they raced back down the hall, Ted slamming the door open with fists blazing. There was a green screen set up, and Charlie's face timidly appeared from behind it. "Can I help you?"

"But- but Schlatt said-" Josh spluttered. Ted's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That rodent duped you! I swear, if I get my hands on him-" He stormed into Schlatt's room and was met with an open window and curtains waving in the breeze. "You know what, Charlie. I think you might be able to help after all."

<<♢>>

His shoes pounded on the pavement, heartbeat loud in his ears. He pushed past pedestrians, gathering a collection of annoyed looks as he did, though he couldn't care less about them. Even the fact that the only thoughts in his head were his own was overshadowed by the volume, the intensity of panic. Each step resounded with _hurry, he needs you,_ and each breath answered back, _I'm coming._

As he clambered through the broken boards in the fence, he noticed the shadow of a bird fall across the ground, wheeling through the sky. Usually, such a thing would go unnoticed, but after living in a house of six other superpowered people, he had gotten used to finding the smallest details out of place. In this case, there was something wrong with its size, to large to be a pigeon, crow, or even an owl. Shielding his eyes with one hand, he looked up to find a bald eagle circling overhead. It regarded him with narrowed eyes, and for a few seconds, they made eye contact, before it abruptly tucked its wings and began to dive. All he could do was cower with his arms over his head as the bird shot towards him, and Charlie tackled him to the ground.

"Get off me."

The shapeshifter huffed as he pulled himself upright, always keeping one hand on his shoulder, pressing firmly down. "If you ever tell Ted I've gone missing again, we're telling the police you were the one to start the house fire."

"I never said anything-"

He was cut off as Charlie cupped a hand to his mouth and, in an awfully cliche moment, made a strange birdcall. Immediately, another call, equally as ridiculous, echoed back, followed seconds later by a pair of footsteps. Ted floated over the fence, Josh following shortly through the gap in the fence.

"What the actual fuck, Schlatt? You almost give me a heart attack, and then you make us chase after you for god knows what reason, I'm _this_ close to burning every single one of your possessions."

"Good for you."

Ted sputtered, expecting him to have some reservations against his threats of property destruction. Luckily, Josh was there with words at the ready.

"Every time we try and approach you, you run off. Schlatt, what's going on?"

"Go away." His eye twitched as they didn't move an inch, not used to having his commands ignored.

"We're not moving."

"Just let it be!"

"If you think we're going to go home after chasing you all the way here, you have another thought coming," growled Ted. Josh's tone was gentler

"You mentioned something before about another person? Who's he?"

"Someone that could be in danger the longer you stand around interrogating me, so-"

He was cut off as something appeared in front of him, round, black, like a hole, cut straight through the air. Schlatt's eyes widened, and he muttered a curse under his breath. "It must be worse than I thought. Get in."

"Is that a _portal_?"

"Yes, now get in."

"Where-"

"No time to explain! Just get in." Not waiting for his reply, Schlatt shoved Josh and sent him stumbling into it. The void swallowed him soundlessly. He turned to the remaining two.

"How can we trust you? You haven't told us anything so far, even when threatened, showing no value for human life, how do we no this isn't some elaborate ploy to get us killed?"

"Do you want to continue your monologue, or _get in the portal before it fucking closes?_ " He waved a hand at the now-shrinking portal, jumping in without a second thought. Charlie and Ted exchanged a look, the shorter shrugging, before pulling them both through. It closed with a 'pop' behind them.

Inside the void, it was darker than they could have ever imagined. Twice as black as any colour they'd ever seen, as if their entire understanding of it had been just a pale imitation of the real thing. Through the silence, Schlatt's voice cut loud.

"Josh?"

"What do you want now?"

"Powers, _please._ "

There came a sigh of relief, then a half-hearted chuckle. "I forgot how loud you guys were." He went quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was darkly serious.

"We're getting out in a second. Be prepared, it's not going to be pretty."

A disc of white opened in front of them, pulling them in, sending them tumbling out into bright, fluorescent light. The telepath was the only one to keep on his feet, ready to face whatever was out there, but even he wasn't ready for the sight that greeted him.

They were in a room, large, clinical, tiled in white, though it had been stained with blood and grime. A group of armed people, completely clad in black Kevlar, visors covering their faces, pointing their guns at a figure near the wall. They hadn't seen them arrive, too focused on their victim, and having been spat out onto the ground by the portal, Josh managed to get a good look at who they were threatening.

Arms restrained in chains, a man hung from the wall, facing his captors with determination. He didn't seem to have been there for long, still fresh despite the many bruises starting to blossom across his face, but Josh could already see red marks where the cuffs were starting to chafe, his muscles straining to avoid the pain. The armed men were laughing at him, taunting him, while he bore the brunt of their vicious mockery.

Josh spared a glance at Schlatt. The man was trembling, though not in fear. His aura was thrumming with a colour Josh had never seen before; black. Pure rage. It was etched cold into his features, a terrifying picture of power. He took a step forward.

"Step. Away. From. Him."

His voice was dangerously low, and the captors bent to his will, leaving a clear path between him and the beaten man. The people who had been tormenting him seconds earlier suddenly didn't seem as brave as they stood quivering in their boots. Schlatt gave them a cruel smile, before snapping to look back at the three still sprawled at his feet. "Get him down and out of here."

For once, Josh was glad to obey, fingers working to quickly release the man from his bonds. He didn't need to see what happened next.

The gunshots echoed through the building.

The fresh air outside was a relief as the commands wore off, spring grass offering a comfortable cushion for them to rest on and process everything, though Schlatt didn't leave them much time before he came marching out, clutching something triumphantly in hand. "Now," he began. "Ted. Burn it down."

"What? Schlatt, we got him out, isn't that enough?"

"It's not safe for us, for any of us, if they're alive. Besides, it's not like you can stop him now," he gestured to where Ted was already raising an inferno inside, hot enough for even the concrete to start dripping. "That's enough. Come back."

He stiffly marched out, turning his back on the devastation he had just caused. His eyes cleared, and he glared at Schlatt.

"Do you _want_ us to get caught for arson?"

"The building has no external surveillance. I'm sure you melted the interior ones and their database."

"And they won't suspect the five strangers walking away from it?"

"In this chaos?" People screaming, very few escaping, driving off in a fleet of black vans. "Not a chance." He threw an object at the pyrokinetic who caught it in one hand. Keys, presumably for one of their cars. His protests were drowned out by a groan from their rescuee. The adrenaline had worn off, giving way to excruciating pain, though he was trying his best not to show it. Luckily, Schlatt was by his side in a heartbeat.

"Hey, buddy, you doin' alright?"

"As best I can." A flash of agony as he tried to push himself upright.

"We'll get you to a doctor, okay? Can you walk?"

"I think they broke at least one of my legs, lost all feeling to the other. I don't even know if I can stand."

Without hesitation, Schlatt scooped him up and carried him to the nearest vehicle. The others hurried behind him, clambering in as he fussed over his patient, carefully cradling him while he propped himself up on the seat next to him. He looked to Ted, awaiting instructions. "We need to get him to the nearest hospital."

"Where even are we?"

"Downtown, somewhere. It's on Priceton Street, you know the one?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, just get us there! I don't care how!"

As Ted turned out onto the road, Josh was the first to break the tension, the air thick with indigo and grey. "What was that?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific."

"Who were those people?"

"Honestly? We don't know. But they're out to get us, planted bugs and watched us until there was a time to strike, and took it. If you could have just held your questions a little longer-"

"How were we supposed to know there was someone in danger? It's not like you were about to _tell_ us, was it?"

"You're about as subtle as a stampede of raging buffalo! If I told you, they'd have traced our house, our names, just by plain _association._ I'm sorry for wanting you to be _safe_."

"We could have helped!"

"Or you could have died! There are more people there than you realise, Josh, and they know how to deal with people like us. We were lucky to have surprised them, I don't know how easy escape would have been otherwise."

"So what was it all for?"

"What do you think?" He gestured to the barely-conscious man beside him.

"Then who is he?"

The man's eyes rolled slowly towards Schlatt, and they stared hard at each other in silence for a moment, as if they were having a conversation of their own. Eventually, Schlatt sighed and relaxed. "Meet the 'other side of the coin'."

"This is Connor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this was a long time in the making. To be honest, I hit a roadblock while writing this, and then school decided to screw me over big time. At one point I was considering discontinuing this entire book. But, I didn't, so here's the chapter! I'm so sorry for not getting it out sooner.
> 
> I have some more chapters done, so I'll be posting them very soon too, but I thought that it might be better to moderate it than release it all in one hit, as much as I would like to otherwise. Thank you all so much for reading and requesting, it's been really keeping this book alive
> 
> See you soon, and lots of love to all  
> \- AnonyMoose


	8. Can you smell fear?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ha ha this is a request book yes mhm no plot here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Dimond_Daisy! Thanks for the request, it was really fun to write!
> 
> Prompt: a hurt/comfort fic where one of the boys gets hit with a power

"Who said that camping would be a good idea?" Ted groaned as a tent pole smacked him in the face for the hundredth time. Travis' head popped out from behind the canvas, offering an apologetic smile. 

Schlatt, leaning against a tree while busying himself with his phone, bemusedly smiled. "I'm pretty sure that you were the one, Ted."

"Shut up, Schlatt." 

"And I'm pretty sure the only reason you said it was to, quote-unquote, 'set shit on fire'," he smirked, not looking up as he deftly dodged a stray tent peg thrown at his head. Ted huffed and turned back to the reams of canvas that pooled around his feet and stuck up awkwardly where a pole was meant to go. 

"Where is this supposed to go..."

"I think it's to your right, Ted." Schlatt motioned to the side. Ted glowered at him but turned to look anyway and indeed, there was a small hole that was absolutely meant for the piece he was holding to slot into.

"If you're so good at this, why don't you just do it yourself?"

Schlatt glanced up again, deadpan expression sitting far too snugly on his face. "Sorry, can't help you there. I'm far too busy."

Cooper straightened up from behind his own tent, brushing his hair from his face, slick with sweat. "Why aren't you helping, anyway?"

"Connor's getting let out of the hospital today. I volunteered to pick him up, seeing as he can't drive. I'm staying with him while you guys camp in some random forest."

"You could at least lend us a hand before you go-"

"Oh, would you look at that, it's time for me to leave!" He replaced his phone in his pocket. "You guys have fun setting up your tents." He ignored the dirty looks behind his back, only giving them a sugary smile as he drove away. Cooper sighed and turned back to assembling the rest of their camp. Canvas suddenly pulled taut as metal clicked into place.

Ted, meanwhile, was having no such success. Everywhere he turned, Travis would be underfoot, or narrowly missing his eyes as he swung a pole around, oblivious both of his actions and where it was supposed to fit. Cooper, Noah, and even Josh had all pulled up chairs to watch the two stumbling about. 

Eventually, after a near-miss at tearing a hole in the tent, Ted corralled Travis away from the ruins of the tent and sent him into the forest to fetch some firewood. Though he pouted and whined, even used his best 'kicked puppy' expression, there was no-one who would accompany him into the forest. 

That's how Travis found himself wandering, lost, and alone.

He had gathered an armful of dry twigs and branches, he was proud of that much at least. But now, he was far too deep to hear them, and them to hear him. Furthermore, the wild trees, unaccustomed to humans in their domain, were being unnecessarily vague and unhelpful, only complaining about how bad the last season had been for their old boughs. He'd given up trying to heal after the sixth tree had near deafened him with its pleas. Instead, he tried his best to block out their voices and focus on the task at hand.

In the end, it was a particularly helpful squirrel that offered to help him get back to camp. He followed it as it scampered across branches, from treetop to treetop, all the while keeping up a non-stop chatter about everything mundane that had been happening to it recently. At this point, it had just become white noise, a background lull that stopped Travis from panicking. So he didn't hear the warning as his foot caught a large tree root and he went tumbling down the side of a cliff, landing hard on a rocky ledge. 

And if things couldn't get any worse, that's when it started pouring. 

Travis frantically scrabbled to save his precious firewood from getting wet as the squirrel left him for cover. He stared dolefully as it's bushy tail disappeared once more into the underbrush. He curled his firewood closer and crawled beneath the overhang as water started to pool at his feet. With nothing to fill the silence, the gravity of his situation started to sink in. A tear slid down his face. _Why did they have to send him out to fetch firewood alone? Why couldn't they just let me help?_ He kicked a stick and sent it clattering across the floor. It hit the wall with a metallic clang.

That got his attention.

There, right in the corner, sat a small metal device. Travis picked it up curiously, turning it over and over in his hands. There was a seam running across each end, though no matter how hard he pried it didn't seem to be able to open. Eventually, after a good five minutes of grappling with it, and one broken fingernail later, Travis threw it down with a huff. And that might have been his biggest mistake.

You see, when that small metal box hit the rocks, only then did it decide to open. And what it contained was a thick, yellow smoke that quickly enveloped Travis, stinging his eyes, forcing itself down his throat as he tried to scream, burning in his lungs as each breath sent more and more into his bloodstream, through his body, into his brain-

The world went black, but just for a second. Light filtered through his eyelids, a putrid yellow that smelled too sweet. He wished he'd never opened his eyes again.

The rain had stopped. He sat on the cliff and swung his legs over the edge. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing. The vibrant greens of the forest gave way to dead trees, cracked ground, skeletons that turned to look at him with hollow eyes.

And it was quiet.

<<♢>>

Cooper was the only one who heard him scream. 

They had been fretting over him for a good half an hour, hoping that he'd emerge from the forest, that he'd suddenly reveal it was all a joke, that he'd actually been safe the entire time. But when Charlie came back with the water and having seen not a trace of him, the panic really began to set in. Cooper had taken to pacing the perimeter for some sign, not noticing or caring about the rapidly greying sky above him, nor the downpour that he had caused. 

When he heard the scream, the rain stopped.

He didn't hear Ted or Charlie or Noah. He didn't feel Josh's hand on his shoulder. All he knew was Travis was in trouble, and the overwhelming desire to protect. His feet pounded through piles of leaves and slick moss-lined glades. He wasn't sure how he knew where to go, he just did, as if there were a compass in his mind always leading him directly to Travis.

There was not a pretty sight to greet him.

Trees, shrubs, anything he could get his hands on, had been morphed into a grotesque ring around him, walls that would have been too tall, too unnaturally smooth for any person to climb. Travis had wrapped his arms around himself, rocking back and forth on his heels. He'd flinch at any animal that dared to come near, emitting an ear-piercing screech that would send whatever it was scampering back to safety. And all Cooper could do was watch.

The rest of the group caught up to him. "What happened?"

"Travis has gone insane, I've never seen him like this."

"What caused it?"

"Why are you asking me? He might have got bitten by a spider or a snake- he might be dying, for all I know!"

Josh reached out into his aura, trying his best to smooth over the milky greens that kept swamping him. But no matter what he did, it never made any difference, colours leeching out as quickly as he could replace them. With each second wasted, Cooper's pacing grew more frantic, faster and faster as he tried to figure out how to save his friend. 

Ted was also getting more restless at their inaction. Eventually, he took to the sky, launching himself into the air and diving towards him. Travis let out a wretched whine, an entire tree curling around him in a protective circle. The ground shuddered, and a woody vine burst out, wrapped itself around Ted's waist and flung him away before he had even come close to Travis. Had he not stopped his fall mid-air, he would have surely landed with a dozen broken bones and a severe concussion. He blinked, dazed.

Cooper saw red. Stormclouds roiled in the sky above, lightning striking down plants with deadly accuracy. Thunder crashed around their ears. The heavens opened with a roar, soaking them in seconds, though despite the downpour, Cooper stayed dry. Water wrapped around as he jumped down the cliffside, rushing up to meet him before he could hit the rock 

The second his feet met solid ground, plants started to sprout from the soil and snake around his feet. Each time, it was sliced clean through by a sheet of ice, swinging back and forth like a deadly pendulum by his feet. Encased in a sphere of water, Cooper seemed near-indestructible, each step taken with fierce, protective sort of determination. Josh could see the wisps of black encircling his head.

With each inch he drew closer, Travis became more and more distraught. His eyes darted around, his hands clawed at his skin, he twisted and turned but never ran. Cooper almost froze when his gaze landed for just a second on his face. Blank eyes stared through him, clouded with an almost tangible fear. His stomach plummeted.

"Travis!" He slashed at everything that came his way, through tree trunks as thick as he was tall. He doesn't care about the debris that comes raining down around him.

"Travis!" The wind whipped around him, the air crackled with electricity. Ozone hung thick above their heads. Still, the attacks did not relent, even against the _one person he could trust-_

"TRAVIS!"

A hand landed on his shoulder. A tremor ran through his body. He collapsed into Cooper's waiting arms. He shook as he sobbed into his chest.

The storm dissipated. The water calmly soaked into the ground. Plants coiled up and withered without the constant stream of energy to sustain them. And in the middle of this apocalyptic landscape, two boys sat curled up together.

"Everything- Everything was gone. I couldn't hear anything, I could see anything, I thought you were-" he couldn't bring himself to say it, as if the words would somehow make it real. "I was so scared, Coopie."

Cooper pulled Travis in tighter. "Are you still scared?"

He shook his head.

"You're here now."

<<♢>>

_Username: **************_

_Password: *********_

_> > login successful._

_Create new file?_

_ >yes_

_ >no_

_> >file successfully created_

Test 103

Serum-F5118

Test subject: LC004-T

Field testing proved the drug to be effective to the highest degree. Drug's effects were only negated by contact with the subject's soulbound. Further testing should implement strategies to combat such interference.

Chemical modifications required for project:pendant.

_> >file successfully saved_

_Initiate phase two?_

_ >>Soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to Dimond_Daisy for the request, sorry if it wasn't exactly what you asked for (there is a reason, I swear)
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoyed, and, as always, I'll see you in the next chapter
> 
> -AnonyMoose

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I kinda wanted to interact with the community, so I was thinking of making a request book! Of course, the first few chapters will just be to set out the premise and characters, etc. but after that, I'd love to have some requests! Angst, fighting, just some wholesome times, even crack, I'll take all requests for these characters, and maybe even some others not aforementioned. Except shipping. Shippers can go screw themselves.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you in the next chapter!
> 
> \- AnonyMoose
> 
> (P.S. I enabled comment moderation only because I'd rather not have someone posing as me. It's unlikely, you guys seem so nice, but I know that the rest of the fandom... isn't so much. It's only a safety precaution)


End file.
